Australias First Processing Plant Earns BAP Certification

AUSTRALIA - Tassal Group Ltd.s Dover, Tasmania, salmon processing plant is Australias first processing plant to attain Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification and the countrys first company approved to offer two-star salmon, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in early August.

The facility received BAP certification on July 30. Tassal was Australia’s first company to earn BAP certification in December 2012, with the certification of its first two salmon farm sites. Since then, 13 of the company’s farm sites have received BAP certification, bringing the total to 15 farm sites across six regions in the state of Tasmania.

“Taking the next step in certifying our processing plant demonstrates Tassal’s commitment to certification and accountability throughout our value chain, ensuring we can deliver the best possible product to the Australian consumer,” said Linda Sams, the company’s head of sustainability.

The Dover facility processes about 24,000 metric tons of Atlantic salmon annually; it feeds processed product into other processing plants for smoking and value adding, representing about 40 percent of the company’s total production.

The company said it is working with its feed supplier, Skretting Australia, on the possibility of sourcing its feed from a BAP-certified feed mill and will seriously look at pursuing BAP certification for its salmon hatcheries once the BAP salmon hatcheries standards are completed.

Tassal is Australia’s largest Atlantic salmon producer and marketer. Established in 1986, the company has been listed on the Australian Securities Exchange since 2003. Tassal produces fresh and frozen salmon fillets, smoked salmon and canned salmon for the wholesale and retail markets, with Woolworths and Coles supermarkets among its retail customers.

Currently, much of the growth within the BAP third-party certification program is attributed to salmon; the total annual output from BAP-certified salmon processing plants is in excess of 400,000 metric tons.